The present invention is directed to a hernia belt or truss useful in supporting abdominal hernias.
Hernia belts have been well known for many years and have been proposed and used in many different forms. Examples of some of these differing devices are reflected in the patent literature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,103, issued Nov. 22, 1977, to Glaser, describes a one-piece bi-sexual garment. A narrow neck section of the support passes through the crotch of the wearer and anchors the bottom part, while a first belt like elastic band connects and supports the upper parts of the front and rear sections, and is secured to both. A second belt-like elastic band encircles the hips of the wearer below the first elastic band, and is fastened only to the rear portion of the support. The elastic bands extend over the hips to provide up-lift.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,264, issued Jun. 9, 1987, to Frangi, describes an underpant brief and hernial truss. An elastic belt is disposed at the circumferential upper edge of the brief, and a pair of at least partly elastic bands has upper ends which are affixed to the elastic belt and pass laterally of the crotch of the pant, adjacent the leg holes of the brief. These bands include an inelastic segment on the front of the underpant extending diagonally across a hernia affectable region of the wearer. Pockets are included over the hernia affectable region for receiving a retaining pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,272, issued Nov. 22, 1983 to Nelkin, describes another combination of underpant and hernial truss. This patent describes a brief having a front, rear and crotch portions with spaced leg holes. A truss pad is attached to the front portion and protrudes inwardly to the brief to engage and support a herniated abdominal area. An adjustable length belt encircles the brief and is connected to the front portion adjacent the pad for directing hernia retaining force thereon. The belt is free from securement to the rear portions of the brief for selective movement upwardly and downwardly to adjust to the wearer""s comfort.
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U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,325, issued Sep. 28, 1982, describes a wide roll-on belt to which the pressure pad for bearing on the area of the hernia is indirectly attached by an arrangement including a rigid stay member. A strap extends from a lower edge of the pad between the wearer""s legs to keep the pad pressed against the body by reaction with the rigid stay, even when movement tends to displace the adjacent part of the belt away therefrom, as when sitting or stooping.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,379, issued Nov. 29, 1988, to Yeh, describes a hernia truss comprising a belt which encloses a flexible and bendable spring metal band. Attached to one end of this belt is a soft pad supported upon a round metal plate. The pad is intended to overlie the hernial region when the ends of the belt are fastened together.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,549, issued Aug. 28, 1973, to Nelkin, describes an essentially one piece truss belt which is adapted for adjustment in circumference. The adjustment entails the belt being open at the back and having a rather complex fold and strap arrangement for determining the belt circumference.
While the foregoing prior devices purport to serve their intended purposes, for the most part, their designs are such as to produce a significant degree of complexity of adjustment and/and or uncomfortableness for the wearer.
The invention relates to a hernia belt which is provided in two basic parts which together provide a maximum of adjustability, adaptability, and comfortableness. The two piece hernia belt comprises a soft abdominal belt portion, which is adapted to extend around the abdomen and carry one or two removable hernia pads. Attached to this abdominal portion of the belt are a pair of spaced leg straps which extend downwardly for passing between the legs of a wearer. The abdominal portion of the belt is held in place on a wearer by adjustable attachment to a separate back belt portion, which extends around the back of the wearer.
According to the invention, virtually the entire face of the exterior of the abdominal belt portion is formed of hook or loop material, preferably loop material. This hook/loop surface engages with mating loop/hook surfaces on the ends of the back belt portion. By this combination of an abdominal belt portion having virtually its entire surface covered with hook/loop material, and a sufficiently long back belt portion with hook/loop material at its ends, it is possible to provide virtually universal or xe2x80x9cfits allxe2x80x9d hernia support.
At the same time, the leg straps which depend from the abdominal portion of the belt are adapted to be adjustably secured to the back belt portion through hook/loop attachment. This adjustable leg strap arrangement interacts with the adjustable waist size in providing the virtually universal size hernia belt. The abdominal belt portion carries one or more pockets for receiving one or more pads (right or left, or right and left), adapted to provide the desired hernial support.
It is a primary of object of the present invention to provide an improved hernia belt, which eliminates or alleviates the shortcomings of the foregoing exemplar hernia belts described in the patent literature.
It is another object of the invention to provide such an improved hernia belt which provides easy adjustment, is comfortable to the wearer, and which provides a fit for virtually all waist sizes.